<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Long overdue summary on an article about low stomach acid & higher risk of food allergies. [My comments in brackets.] ~ Valerie in Tacoma --------------------- Bravo, bravo, I totally agree with this!! They DO treat low stomach acid with meds to supress it and call the disease GERD. Reason being? All a pharmaceutical scam, more money, more money! And I highheartedly agree that having low stomach acid causes many problems, because without it, you can't digest food and OR supplements or anything that goes into your mouth and into your gut! ---------------------- The hydrochloric acid is great stuff. I'm sleeping all night for the first time in years, not even awakening to go to the bathroom! I think I've stumbled on to something great. It's controlling the diarhrea too. Constance [Stomach acid replacement is not intended as a treatment for insomnia, but it can help people absorb nutrients that are necessary for a good night's rest.] ---------------------- Q: What do you take? Emily [A: I take Throne Bio-Gest and Highline HCl plus pepsin. Both are available at my local naturopathic dispensary. However, stomach acid replacement, HCl, is widely available in health food stores. It's less expensive when purchased in large amounts, 500 capsules for $36.] ------------------- Q: How many do you take? Ann [A: I take two BIO-GEST and three Highline HCl plus pepsin with each meal. A word of caution: Stomach acid and pepsin are VERY STRONG TREATMENTS and must be approached with caution. When your stomach hasn't been producing acid for a long time, it takes it a while to readjust to the introduction of these two digestive elements. When I first started using this stuff, I was so tickled with the results, I quickly increased the dose. After a few days, I thought I would burn up from the inside out. I had to stop and start all over gradually increasing the dosage to my tolerance level. I started out with one capsule at my largest meal & stuck with that for a few days. Then I added a second capsule at my next largest meal. I gradually increased each week by one capsule a day. It took several months to work up to my tolerance level. Now I can take up to six with a large meal without any adverse reaction. It sure helps control gas production.] ------------------- Q: Valerie, what do you mean allergic? Do you get hives and or go into anaphylatic shock or something? [A: Thankfully, only a couple of my allergies cause anaphylaxis and they are both very easy to avoid & dosage sensitive. Most of the time I only get heartburn from them. When I eat a lot of the reactive food, though, I do get itchy hives & rashes. Most of my allergies are the IGg, slow reacting type that are very hard to track down. I had to get a blood test to see what was upsetting me. When I got off all of the foods that tested positive, it made a BIG difference -- almost no more heartburn. Most doctors don't realize that heartburn is an allergy symptom, so they prescribe acid reducing medications & the problem escalates.] Q: That would be a big bummer! Do you think you have candida? [A: I DID have terrible candida. Not any more. Now that I use stomach acid replacement & digestive enzymes with every meal and restrict to sweets to once a week, the candida is well under control.] Q: Because from all that I have read, this causes soooo many allergies and problems within your system, because it pokes small holes in your intestinal lining and the toxins leach out into your blood stream! [A: It does all that. But candida really gets a foot hold when stomach acid and enzyme production is LOW as it usually is for celiacs.] --------------------- Its great to hear about your successful treatment. My husband and I are both celiacs, both diagnosed by Dr. Wright (in Renton), who has been our alternative medicine M.D. since '82 dealing with all of our health issues (unrelated and related to gluten intolerance). Again both of us have also been on HCl for 20+ years and we are only 51 now. The problem can begin young.... Gloria -------------------- Interesting article about low stomach acid and iron deficiency: http://www.cancersupportwa.org.au/Spotlight/Igor/5IT.htm ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! *Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*